Necessary Changes Author:Mary Kay McComas When Livy met Brian in a Tolford, Tennessee playground in 1956, he was a scared six-year-old newcomer being terrorized by a schoolyard bully. With one well-placed punch Livy knocked the bully flat, then introduced herself. That marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship between two people who have nothing in common but their affection for eac... more »h other.
Livy Hubbard is a child of privilege blessed with every advantage that comes with being the only daughter of Tolford's leading citizen. Her rosy future is marred only by the birthmark on her cheek, but, she assures Brian, her father has given her permission to punch anyone who makes fun of her.
Brian Carowack is instantly smitten. Coming from a troubled home, Brian admires Livy's commitment to justice and her willingness to fight for what she believes in. Having learned early to stick up for herself, Livy moves on to defending others. At college in Memphis, Livy embraces all the causes of the sixties, never missing a protest march or demonstration. Brian gets to college too, on a basketball scholarship, but he never shares Livy's passion for changing society. He admires her commitment, even though he doesn't understand it. And he is always there to pick Livy up when she falls off a bandwagon. Livy and Brian are, in fact, such good friends that romance seems out of the question. It takes them years to realize that they belong together, years in which they face changes that are often painful, but unavoidable.« less